Egg washer



Nov. 24, 1,942. w. sTEHLlK EGG' WASHER Filed May 3l, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 24, 1942. w` sTEHLlK 2,302,869

EGG WASHER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 3l, 1941 Nav. 24, 1942,

w. sTEHp-IK EGG WASHER Filed May 3l, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Mlm/A552022 i w. sTr-:HLIK

EGG WASHER Nov Z4, 1942.

Filed May 31, 1941 4 Shaets-Sheet 4 Patented Nov. 24, 1942 UNITED rSTATES PATENT OFFICE EGG WASHER"4 William Stehlik, Minneapolis, Minn., assigner of one-third to to Max Levin,

Edward Dickmam. and one-third both of Minneapolis,

Minn.

Application May 31, 1941, Serial No. 395,975

(Cl. 14S- 198) 2 Claims.

fully projected sprays quid C.

To hold the eggs While they are being washed, there is provided a rotary cage that` includes a multiplicity of egg trays. These egg trays, in a manner hereinafter more fully described, are

trays, with the eggs, are adapted to be placed in the cage. The cage thus loaded with eggs is arranged to be placed in the wash tank, in a horizontal position, and rotated.

eggs while they are being rotated. The water sprayed onto the eggs while they are being washed is, through a suitable pump and circulating connections, drawn from the Wash tank and delivered back into the same.

The rotation of the egg-containing cage within the wash tank, the rotation of the drying table, the driving of the fan or blower and the operation of the pump are all from a common source, to wit: preferably an electric motor; and all of these elements are preferably supported directly from a common main frame.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate a commercial machine and wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a view chiey in side elevation, but

with some parts broken away and some parts secf tioned, showing the complete machine or apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a plan view Fig. 3 is a transverse the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

of the complete machine; vertical section taken on contain Vthe water lmately the level indicated at'y in eggs will be Fig. 4 is a 'transverse vertical section taken lon the lined-4 of Fig. 1;

' Fig. 5 is a transversefvertical the 'irregular line 5&5 of Fig. 1; Fig.y 6 is a View in perspective showing the rosection taken on one of the egg trays;

Fig. 8 is a vertical section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 isa view, partly in elevation and partly in vertical section, illustrating a Vduplex arrangement of the egg washing cages; and

Fig. 10 is a section taken von the line llll0 of Fig; 9.

All of the partsof directly or indirectly on a numeral I5. Rigidly vmounted on this frame, at one end thereof, is a wash 'tank I6 preferably a rectangular sheet metal structure shown 'as provided with a removable cover I1. This tank will or washing liquid to approxi- Fig. 1.

I8 on one end plate bearing I9 on an Iup- Journaled in a 'bearing of the tank IS, and in a posite head plate of the tank It approximately in line with the bearing I8 is a notched or open bearing 22. The 'numeral 23 indicates a normally closed drain cock in the bottom of the tank I6.

The trays, portions of which are shown in approximately full-size in Figs. 7 and 8, are indicated as entireties 'by the character 24 and each, as best shown in Fig. 3, is made with thirty-six egg compartments.V Thetops of these egg open or cellsare normally open partially closed by transverseegg-supporting bars 25 preferably provided with pads'26 with which the lower ends of the engaged. The side walls and the partitions are sages 21;

When a layer of eggs has'been removed from the egg crate the' trays just described will be turned upside'down and placed over the eggs and then the trays will beV turned right-side up and will be ready t0 be placed in the so-called egg cage shown in detail in Fig. 6.

This egg cage is a skeleton-like rectangular structure' of a size to receive the desired number cut away to form large fluid pasof trays 24 and which, in made of a size to receive of the walls of the cage, indicated by the numeral 28, has a cross bar 28 which, at its central portion, has a hub 29 formed with an angular internal socket adapted to receive the angular head 2| of shaft 2|) and the opposite wall or side of cage 28 is in the form of a rectangular frame 3u that is hinged to the cage 28 at 3| and lis adapted to be locked to said cage by a lock rod 32 inserted through ears 33 on said cage, as best shown in Fig. 6. When the loaded trays, assumed to be five in number, are placed in the cage, they will be placed one on top of the other open sides up and the open top of the highest tray will be close to the hinged member 30. To confine the eggs in this upper tray the frame 30 is shown as provided with a woven wire screen 34. Said frame 30 has a transverse bar 35 which, at its central portion, has a projecting trunnion 36. When the cage has been loaded with egg lled trays while, of course, the frame 3U is locked, the cage will be turned into a position with its trunnion 36 and coupling socket 29 in a common horizontal line; and the cage will then be placed in the wash tank with its socket 29 telescoped onto the head 2| of shaft 20 and with its trunnion 36 seated in the open bearing 22.

When the loaded cage is rotated, the lower porpart of the eggs will always be washing liquid y and liquid the cage and practice, are usually five such trays. One

directions from nozzles 31 and 38. All of the nozzles 31 and 38 open laterally from a pipe 39 that extends in rectangular formation around the interior of the wash tank I6 above the water level.

The cleaning liquid is drawn from the wash tank and forced to the pipe 39 from a pump 4|), the casing of which is rigidly supported on the main frame I5. A pipe 4| connects the intake of the pump casing to the tank |B and the tangential discharge port of said pump iS Connected t pipe 39 by a delivery pipe 42. The rotor shaft of pump 40 is extended from the pump casing and is provided with a pulley 43. As already stated, the motive power for all of the running parts of this machine will be supplied from a motor. The frame 44 of this motor is suitably supported on the base frame l and its rotor shaft 45, at one projecting end, is provided with a driving pulley 4B over which and the pulley 43 runs a belt 41 to drive the rotor of pump 4!) quite directly from said motor.

The above noted shaft 2i) is also driven from motor 44 but at a greatly reduced speed through transmission mechanism which will include a conventional reduction gear contained in a housing 48 mounted on the main frame l5. This conventional reduction gear includes a driven shaft 49 equipped with a pulley 5] and a driven reduced speed shaft 5| equipped with a pulley 52, as best shown in Fig. .1.. Pulley 5D is driven from a belt 53 that runs over jecting end of the rotor shaft 45 of motor 44; and slow speed shaft 5| drives shaft 2|! through a belt 55 that runs over the pulley 52 on. shaft 5| and over a pulley 51 on said shaft 2li.

With the connections described, it is evident that shaft 20, and hence the loaded egg cage, will be rotated at a slow speed when the apparatus is in operation. The rotary table 53 is a hanged rectangular structure of a size to receive the lower end of the cage 28 when the latter, with its load of Washed eggs, is placed thereon. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 4 this table 58 is in the form of a rim or frame made of angle iron that is directly supported by a downwardly converging spider bracket 59 that is rigidly connected to the upper end of a short vertical shaft B0 that is journaled in a bearing 6| formed as one end of a heavy arm or bracket 62 that is rigidly secured to certain of the cross barsof the frame I5. At its extreme lower end the shaft G0, by means of a thrust bearing B3, is seated on a depending spider-like bracket B4 that is, in turn, rigidly secured to the frame work l5, as best shown in Fig. 4. Just above the thrust bearing B3 shaft 60 is provided with a pulley 65. Rotary table 58 is arranged to be rotated from the motor-44, at a slow or reduced speed, directly from shaft 2i! preferably through the following driving connections, to wit: on the extended end of shaft 2!) is a pulley 66. A belt 51 runs over the pulleys 65 and $5 and over laterally spaced pulleys 68, which latter are journaled on a spindle or short shaft |59 mounted in bearings 10 secured on transverse portions |5a of the -main frame l5, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 5.

A fan 1| for blowing a blast of air against the egg cage on to the table and against and around the eggs contained therein is located quite closely adjacent to one side of said table. This fan is carried by a shaft 12 journaled in bearings 13 on laterally spaced portions |5b of the main frame l5, as best shown in Figs. l and 5. Secured on fan shaft 12 is a pulley 14 that is driven from the motor 44 at high speed through a belt 15 that runs over said pulley 14 and over the pulley 16 secured on the shaft 45 of the rotor of the motor 44. In Figs. 1 and 2 the numeral 11 indicates an open guard placed in front of and partly around the fan 1| and suitably supported from the main frame by arms or brackets 18.

To keep the washing liquid at a predetermined proper temperature, I preferably employ an electric heating device of commercial or well-known arrangement and the parts of which, for the purpose of this case, it is only desirable to particularly note the heating element 19 and the aquastat bulb 80.

Summary of operation The use and operation of the apparatus is probably clear from the foregoing description, but may be briefly summarized as follows: When the washing cage isloaded with eggs, as already described, it is mounted in the wash tank and rotated and the eggs will be carried through the liquid and then carried above the liquid and subjected to the sprays directed against the eggs in the several directions.

The movement of the eggs through the washing liquid `will be slow but the sprays will be discharged against the eggs at high velocity, thereby carrying from the eggs any of the materials tending to adhere thereto. In practice it is found that complete and satisfactory washing of the eggs in this machine requires approximately five minutes and that the drying of the eggs can be accomplished in about two and one-half minutes. The intervening two and one-half minutes will be sufficient for the removal of the eggs from the crates and the loading of the rotary cage therewith. Hence, in the operation of this machine, the only interruption in the washing action will be only the short interval required to take one cage with the Washed eggs out of the wash tank and the replacing of another cage loaded with the eggs to be washed; and, as is evident, the eggs can be dried without in any Way delaying the washing action.

The loading of the trays, by the operation already described, may be very quickly performed. No direct handling of the eggs is required. By the use of inverted trays a whole layer of eggs from the crate (usually about three dozen) is performed by one operation. For the particular arrangement described, fifteen dozen eggs can be washed and dried at one time. If it should be desirable to simultaneously wash thirty dozen at one time, the tank can be enlarged and the cages duplicated.

In Figs. 9 and 10 an apparatus is shown for simultaneously rotating two of the above described cages 28 with its loaded trays therein. In this instance the loaded cages 28 are arranged to be inserted in rectangular skeleton-like or box-like carriers 8| that are mounted to rotate Within a relatively large Wash tank 82. These carriers 8i on the interior of the tank 82. nions 84 is connected to a driving shaft 86 that is shown in Fig. 9. Both of the box-like carriers 8| are provided with hinged sides 81 adapted to be normally latched in closed positions. In this arrangement the cages 28 are shown as provided with hand grips 88 to facilitate removal thereof when the side plate or gate 81 is open.

From the foregoing it will be understood that various alterations in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made within the scope of the invention herein disclosed and claimed.

What I claim is:

1. In an egg washing device, a tank having means for maintaining a Water level therein, a cage containing a plurality of superposed open Work egg trays each having a plurality of cells and providing a multi-cellular structure uniformly distributed therethrough for supporting eggs for treatment in the tank, means rotatably mounting the cage on a horizontal axis Within the tank with cellular portions thereof disposed below and above the Water level, a liquid spraying device supported in the tank to discharge a spray of liquid through successive cellular portions of the cage disposed above the Water level during the rotation of the cage, and means to rotate the cage.

within the tank, and means for delivering a spraying liquid to the spraying device under high pressure.

WILLIAM STEHLIK. 

